The Beginning of the Winter
by Princess Alethea
Summary: Before the Pensieve's arrived, 4 children were transported to Narnia at the start of the Hundred Year Winter. What went wrong? Why did they not fufil the prophecy? Was there a traitor before Edmund? Read to find out! Set pre-Lion Witch and Wardrobe. R&R!
1. Prologue

The Great Lion, Aslan, King over all Kings in Narnia, helped many a child find their truth self. He took them from their normal lives and turning them into royalty, warriors and symbols of hope. No one would ever forget the Golden Age or the intervening hand of Lady Jill and Lord Eustace.

In some cases, the lesson that needed to be learnt was a hard one. Lord Diggory was not without regret, for it was he who awakened Jadis, Queen of Charn and one could say that all the destruction she caused was a result of his single moment of foolishness. Then, hundreds of years later, King Edmund the Just let pride and greed consume him and almost paid for it with his life. He was rescued by Aslan with a sacrifice the world would never forget.

Two young boys, simply lead astray by the all-consuming pull of evil, one might say. Two boys whose lessons were learnt. The only two sinners Narnia had ever seen.

This is a lie.

There is an untold story of not a boy, but a girl. She was sent to Narnia with her brother and two cousins at the beginning of the Hundred Year winter. Two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve. What went wrong with Aslan's plan? Here was a quartet of children ready to fulfil the prophecy that had been laid out. What went wrong?

The answer lies with the girl whose story is finally about to be told. She is the sinner the world forgot. She is the sinner no-one wishes to remember.

Jadis herself once said that she wanted a boy of her own, someone to take over Narnia when she was gone as Prince and King. That was not the first time she had offered that to a child of the Other World.

Do not judge the girl yet, for like Diggory before her and Edmund after her, she had Aslan to protect her and her family to fight for her safety.

But remember, she is unlike any other child who entered.

Her name was Elana. This is her story.


	2. From Summer to Winter

Elana was silently fuming. She had been ordered to go outside and play with her cousins. Kato, her brother, was allowed to remain indoors because he was reading, as usual. The only thing Elana ever needed to read was the date, which today was the tenth of July, 1932. Still, she hated how Kato could get away with reading while she, on the other hand, who had been on the verge of discovering something worthwhile to do, had been ordered to leave. Yes, _ordered. _It had been Father, of course, who had commanded her, but as usual, Mother had not come to her defence. It was so unfair.

She stormed outside, to find her cousins, Marie and Pierre playing a mindless game of tag. Elana shook her head. She had grown out of tag when she was eight, and she was thirteen now. A teenager, not a child. Not that anybody seemed to notice that.

"Cousin Lana!" Marie squealed, running over.

"Elana," the thoroughly annoyed girl reminded her nine-year old cousin. "Elana."

"Do you want to play?" Pierre asked her politely.

"It is not a matter of whether I want to, the cold, hard truth is that I _have _to," Elisa muttered.

"Pardon?"

Elana sighed. "Yes, Pierre, I wish to play."

"Fine, you are in!" Pierre said and he took off, fleeing to the far corner of the garden with Marie. Elana ran after them and obliged to tag Marie after giving the girl a decent head start. She then ran from Pierre, further and further into the garden, almost where it reached the wood.

"Elana?" Pierre called. "Elana, where are you?"

Elana smiled to herself and remained hidden behind the bushes, slowly stepping her way further back. She was soon completely in the forest. Behind her where two trees parallel to each other that formed a sort of walkway. She stopped just before she stepped through them. She waited, completely still and silent. Pierre and Marie had stopped calling for her. Suddenly, another voice rang out.

"Elana!"

_Wonderful,_ Elana thought. _Kato's joined the search party._

"In here!" she decided to reply and heard the scuffling of three pairs of feet as they followed her voice. They were still calling.

"Elana? Elana!"

"Back here!"

Kato spied her first, bursting out of the undergrowth of the family garden and into the forest. Marie and Pierre were right behind him.

"Elana," said Kato to his younger sister. "You are supposed to be playing tag, not hide and seek."

Elana just shrugged her shoulders, something Mother and Father hated. So, it seemed, did Kato.

"Elana!"

Elana stepped back at the forcefulness of her brother's voice and tripped, falling back ward between the two trees. She could hear her brother and cousins calling her name again, but the voice sounded oddly distant. Wind whistled in her ears and bright light filled her eyes. She cringed, expecting to land on hard ground. Instead she landed on something soft, white and powdery.

Snow.

Elana blinked and tried to take in her surroundings. She was still in a forest, but everything was blanketed with a thick layer of snow. The two parallel trees still stood in front of her, but beyond them there was only an identical white landscape.

Suddenly, Pierre, Marie and Kato appeared out of nowhere, falling in a heap beside her. They sat up, looking extremely dazed.

"Snow?" Pierre and Kato asked no-one in particular.

"Snow!" said Marie, delighted. Then comprehension dawned on her small, round face. "Cousin Kato, isn't it summer?"

"Yes Marie, it is," said Kato slowly. He got to his feet and tentatively put his arm through the space created by the two looming trees. Elana had half expected it to disappear and was quite disappointed when nothing seemed to happen.

"Wait – my hand feels warmer. So maybe we should just –" Kato made to step through the two trees.

"No, wait!" Elana cried out. "Can't we at least explore first?"

This was by far the most exciting thing that had happened to her all summer. Just when she had reached her upmost limit of hours spent practicing embroidery and discussing politics, here was a real adventure just waiting to be taken advantage of. Kato paused and turned around to face his younger sister, who was still sitting upon the snow.

"We have no winter attire."

"We won't stay that long."

"Please, Kato," Marie begged her cousin.

"Oh do let us take a short look around," added Pierre.

"Just a quick look?"

The three other children nodded vigorously, jumping to their feet.

"Well fine. Don't attempt anything dangerous."

"Onward!" cried Marie, pointing in a direction.

Elana shook her head. "No Marie, I'll lead."

"Who says you get to lead?"

"I did, Pierre."

"No, I'll lead for I am oldest."

Elana scowled at Kato and muttered a few curses under her breath. Kato always played that card and it never ceased to annoy her. Grown-ups were forever comparing to her to her perfect older brother and she had lost count of the times she had been queried as to whether she couldn't be a bit more like her older sibling.

Lost in thought and annoyance, Elana kicked up a shower of snow at Marie who was trudging in front of her. Marie cried out when the sudden coldness hit her back. Kato stopped in his tracks and swing around, instantly realising what had happened.

"What did you go and do that for?"

Elana shrugged.

"Elana! You were the one who said we could stay warm, but if you keep that up we'll have to turn back. Then this adventure will be ruined for all of us because of you!"

"Because of me? You blame everything on me! It's always my fault."

"Well, it is!"

"If that's what you think, I don't want to follow you anymore. I've been following you my whole life and let me tell you, I've had a terrible time!"

Kato's face darkened. "I am your older brother. It is your duty to follow me, so that I can protect you."

"I don't need protection!" Elana screamed. Marie and Pierre were looking exceptionally scared at this point. The forest that surrounded them was completely quiet, except for the two raised voices. "I'm thirteen years old, has no-one noticed that."

"You're still a girl!"

Elana cried out in exasperation with a noise that didn't make sense and didn't make her feel the slightest bit better. She tore off into the forest in the opposite direction, not caring where she was going or where she would end up. Kato was calling after her and she knew he would follow, but it didn't matter, she was faster than him.

As she ran, Elana cursed everyone in her mind. Kato, Marie and Pierre, her Mother and Father and anyone else who refused to listen to her. She was tired of being ignored. Tired of having no say. But there was no-one to give her the power she desired.

And so Elana kept running, letting the frozen forest consume her and her burdens at the same time.


	3. The Snow Storm

Elana continued running for over a minute, going deeper and deeper into the wood. Her brother's cries faded as any icy wind picked up. Elana shivered and tripped over a fallen log. She landed face first in the snow and was instantly soaked to the bone. Pins and needles began prickling down her arm and she stood up quickly, hoping to rid herself of the chill.

If anything, the now gale-like wind only froze her more, causing her teeth to chatter and her fingers and toes to feel none. Why were there no other people in this strange land? Why was there no shelter or warmth? It was supposed to be summer.

Elana soldiered on, but the further she went the colder she became and she began to hallucinate and see her past.

"_Elana! Where are you?"_

"_I'm outside Mother."_

"_Elana! What are you doing in the dirt! Proper young ladies never play in the dirt, they stay indoors. Now come."_

"_No Mother."_

"_What did you say to me?"_

"_I said no. Why can't I play outside?"_

_Elana's mother leaned over her daughter and a series of sharp slaps broke the afternoon. The six-year-old girl cried out in pain._

Elana could now see nothing but whiteness. It surrounded her and confused her. She had no sense of direction, no sense of what was even right beside her. She was lost and alone and so terribly, terribly cold.

"_Look at me Kato!"_

_Kato looked up from his book. "Lana! What are you doing in that tree?"_

"_It's alright, I'm just exploring."_

"_Elana Hart, get down this instant!"_

"_You can't tell me what to do!"_

"_I can and I – Lana! The branch!" Kato ran forward as the branch snapped and he caught his ten-year-old sister just in time. They pair tumbled to the ground, their hearts thudding. Kato leapt to his feet, his face filled with rage._

"_Why can't you just do as your told!" He stormed off._

_Elana refused to cry._

The white was fading now. At least, it was going blurry on the edges and becoming darker. Elana sank to the ground, too tired to continue. She reasoned her mind was still playing tricks on her, because in the distance she swore she could hear the jingling of bells, the ones you might find on a sleigh. And there was the clatter of hooves as well. It was a nice dream. Darkness was swiftly coming as Elana's vision tunnelled out until there was nothing but a small circle of white. She could now hear voices. The first one was as cold as the snow and ice and the second was gravelly and low. It sounded almost like a bark.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, Your Majesty."

"What do you mean, you don't know? Is it a faun or a centaur?"

"No, Your Majesty. I – I think you should come and have a look, Your Majesty."

The last thing Elana heard before she completely succumbed to the darkness was the cold voice hissing "Human!"

Kato knew he had to make an executive decision. There was no way the younger children could continue to follow Elana now that the wind was picking up. They would have to find shelter or return home. But which way was home?

Kato silently cursed his sister for the hundredth time and chose to at least head in the way that they had came.

"Aren't we following Lana anymore?" Marie asked tiredly.

"No, we're going back."

"She'll be fine, won't she?"

"Of course she will be. Now tell me if either of you see a shelter anywhere."

"I don't see a shelter," said Pierre slowly, "but I do see a badger."

Kato swung around. "Where?"

Pierre pointed to a nearby bush and low and behold there was a badger, half concealed behind it. Suddenly, quick as a wink, it darted out into the open space, lifted its paw and beckoned to the three children before scampering back behind the bush.

Mari started forward. Kato grabbed her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Marie looked perplexed at her cousin's query. "It wants us to go over to it."

"It's a badger, Marie. It wouldn't know sign language."

"Please hurry!" Came a high, soft voice. The badger had spoken to them.

Pierre stared.

Kato's mouth dropped open.

Marie clapped her hands together in delight. "See? It knows how to speak as well. Come on!"

Reluctantly, the two boys followed the young girl over to the badger, who was once more behind the bush.

"Oh bless my soul," she said as they got nearer. (The voice was high and feminine, so Kato rationalised it was a girl). "Deary me."

"Hello," said Marie, obviously completely comfortable with the idea of a talking badger. "Can we help you."

"Can you help – can you – oh by Aslan, this is truly a miracle. Please, follow me; we simply must get you out of this storm."

It was only then that Kato realised a storm really had picked up. The wind was howling and chilling him to the bone. He sincerely hoped Elana was alright.

The badger turned around and set off, but this time Kato was not as eager to follow her. How could they know she could be trusted? What did she want with them? And for goodness sake, she was a talking badger!

"Pierre, Marie...we'd best be –"

"Please hurry! There is shelter up ahead."

Kato examined his two cousins. Pierre looked frozen to the bone and Marie was shivering violently. What choice did they have but to follow this mysterious animal?

Kato wrapped a hand around Marie to keep her warm. "Come on," he said and the tri headed out into the great unknown.

_**OK, so I'm kind of writing two stories at the same time, this one and a Bridge to Terabithia one. So if you like this one, please, please review, even if it's only quick so that I know that I know it's worthwhile updating this one regularly. Otherwise I'll put most of my energy into Bridge Throughout Time.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed reading!**_


	4. Tales of Narnia

The cave that the badger lead them to was not the shelter Kato had been expecting, the protection from the wind was welcome enough. He was surprised to see, however, that the cave was already inhabited. Sitting near a small fire that was burning feebly was a fox, its tail curled around it for warmth. This time, Kato wasn't even surprised when it spoke.

About time, Gera – well I'll be damned." The fox had only just looked up and noticed the three children who had entered the cave.

"Humans? Here in Narnia?"

"Yes," replied the badger.

"Impossible...unless – does this mean - ?"

"I believe it does and it is our job to help them."

"Of course! Praise Aslan for this glorious day!"

Kato was now thoroughly confused. "I'm sorry, we don't understand. What is Narnia? Who is Aslan?" Kato enjoyed how the mysterious name rolled off his tongue.

"They do not know anything?" hissed the fox.

"Of course not," the badger reprimanded him. "My name is Geraline. This is my friend, Jeb."

"Please to meet you," said Pierre. "My name is Pierre; this is my sister Marie and my cousin, Kato."

"Yes, yes," said Kato impatiently, "could we please know what's going on? Only half an hour ago we ended up in this forest. We were in the forest at the back of our home and then suddenly we were here. It's summer there."

"It's been winter here for almost ten years now."

"Ten years?" said Marie, her eyes going wide. "How?"

"Please, take a seat. It's quite a long story."

The three children got comfortable around the fire. Geraline looked to Jeb, who in a low, quite voice, began telling the story.

"The land you are in now is called Narnia. We were once a peaceful land, inhabited by Talking Beasts, centaurs, fauns –"

"I'm sorry; did you just say _centaur and fauns?_"

Jeb gave him a cold look.

"Sorry, this is all new to us. Continue."

"That all changed when the Witch came. She said she was human but it was lie. Never-the-less, she seized control of the Narnia. She now calls herself the Queen of Narnia and Empress of the Lone Islands, but we all refer to her as the White Witch."

Even the name sent shudders down the spines of the three children.

"There are stories that a great Lion, called Aslan would come and save us but it has been many a year since anyone has seen head or tail of him."

"Who is he?" Marie asked.

"He is a lion, _the _Lion. He is the real King of Narnia and the son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea. It is said that when Aslan shakes his mane, we will have spring again. As I said, though, we Narnians have almost given up hope of his return. However, there is another prophecy that we believe. In the great castle by the sea, Cair Paravel, there are four thrones. The prophecy goes as such: 'When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sit at Cair Paravel in the throne, evil will be over and done.'"

Pierre was confused. "Adam's flesh?"

"Humans. You four – wait! Geraline, there are only three!"

Geraline's eyes widened. But when I first saw them there were four them. The girl with the dark hair, where is she?"

"My sister, Elana, she – she ran away."

The fox and badger gasped in unison. "What happened?"

"We had a fight and – please, you must understand something. We are not here to fulfil a prophecy or defeat a Witch. We just got lost and we want to go home. Won't you help us find my sister so that we can?"

"We can't do anything until the storm dies down."

"Well then let us rest."

"Could you tell us a story?" Marie asked Jeb shyly.

"It would be a pleasure, little one. Though I warn, my subject of expertise is none to warming. I shall tell the tale of the White Witch."

Marie snuggled up to Kato, who placed his hand around her and Pierre. By this point he was extremely worried about Elana. Now that he knew what dangers were out there, he felt sure that something terrible would happen to his little sister. She claimed she could take care of herself, but she was just thirteen after all. And now, to add to everything, these strange talking animals were talking about a prophecy they believed would now be fulfilled. Kato had no intention of taking his place in any throne, especially not one currently being held by a tyrannous witch.

"No-one knows where she came from. Some say she has been here since time began, when Aslan created Narnia and gave it to King Frank and Queen Helen. It is said that upon arriving here she ate the forbidden fruit that gave her eternal youth. After that she spent many years scheming and gathering her power until she emerged as the royal family was crumbling to seize control. She based her claim to the throne on the fact she believed herself to be human, but we Narnian's all know the truth. She is really half giantess and all evil."

Beside him, Kato could feel Marie still shivering and he knew this time it wasn't from the cold. He too was chilled to the bone by the story.

"Please, Mr Fox – Jeb," he said quietly, "couldn't you tell us a happier story?"

"Oh the poor dears, you've been frightening them," Geraline gushed.

Jeb did not look offended. "As you wish, my king."

"My name is Kato."

"Of course. Before the Long Winter began, every spring the Narnians would gather for a celebration of new life and freedom. There would be dances and music as the fauns and the wood nymphs performed traditional dancers that anyone was welcome to join. The music..."

Kato let the warm words wash over him and felt his heart lift slightly. Truly this was a beautiful place when it was not trapped in winter.

Pierre's eyes were shining brightly as Jeb described the centaurs.

Marie listened, enraptured whenever the fox spoke of the water and tree nymphs and the graceful way in which they moved.

Kato simply lost himself in the entire story.

Much later, when everyone was slowly falling asleep, Kato sat wide awake and listened to the wind howling outside the cave. He could not rest knowing that Elana was out there somewhere in that terrible storm. A chill travelled down his spine when he wondered whether she would live out the night.

"Kato?" a small voice whispered.

"Marie? You should get some rest."

"Oh, I'm too excited to sleep."

"Rest is good for you Marie. We may have to walk quite a distance tomorrow to find Elana."

"Oh, right. I hope she is fine."

"So do I, Marie. So do I."

The little girl with the head of golden hair lay down on the hearth beside Kato.

"What do you think I shall dream about?" she asked sleepily.

"I do not know. Maybe you'll dream about the Narnian dances and all the strange folk who live here."

"Mm," agreed Marie, her eyes now closed. "I really want to dream of the Lion."

"The Lion?"

"You know – Aslan. The great Lion." And with that the little girl succumbed to sleep, a smile upon her pale face.

Kato knew he should sleep too and his eyes felt heavy. But he had to stay up. What if Elana called his name and he was sleeping? He had to be alert.

He had to stay awake.

He had to....

Jadis paced a room in her icy palace. This was the first time she had felt confused in years. Over the last decade or so there had been very little reason for worry. Narnia was hers and there was no way anyone could take it from her.

Now, though, there was the matter of the girl.

Jadis's mind instantly conjured up a picture of the four thrones at Cair Paravel. That truly was the only thing that plagued her, that ancient prophecy. But this was only one child, not four. Unless there were others.

Jadis made up her mind. One child was still a threat to her kingdom. A threat that would have to be dealt with swiftly.

The child must die.

_**Tell me what you think will happen. Give me ideas for improvements. Anything! Reviews make my day.**_

_**So review, review, review....**_


	5. Meeting the Queen

Elana woke to find ever fibre of her being was still frozen. Upon gaining consciousness she began shivering uncontrollably and it took her several minutes until she adjusted to the harsh temperature so that she could take in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed as she eased herself into an upright position was that her ankle was encased in an iron clasp that in turn was attached by a heavy metal chain to the floor. She was in a cell, held hostage by both iron bars and the ice that had formed between them. Elana could see her own breath come out as white mist in fron of her eyes and for the first time in her life she felt truly frightened.

It didn't take long for this feeling to fade, however, and Elana quickly set about trying to find a way to free herself. The first thing she discovered as that the iron clasp was several sizes to big for her ankle. So, gritting her teeth, Elana removed her shoe and after a very brief struggle, she had freed herself from the clasp. She quickly replaced her shoe before her foot turned blue from the cold. After an extensive examination of her cell, Elana realised the key was in the door on the other side, which made sense enough. There was no way one could get there hand to the other side as ice barred the way and she doubted your average prisoner would have been able to escape the clasp and chain in the first place.

This didn't faze Elana in the slightest. She had already made it half way there, why give up now? She turned on the cup of frozen water her captors had so generously provided and decided it would have to do as a battering device. Elana wasn't sure how long she stood in her freezing cell, smashing the cup into the ice on her door in the hopes of making a hole big enough to fit her hand through. She never lost hope and bit by bit, tiny crack by tiny crack a hole appeared.

Elana could not even describe the feeling that came with finally being able to slip her hand through and turn the key in the door, freeing herself from her imprisonment. She slipped through her door an began following endless white halls. She saw nobody but remained as quiet as she possibly could. All the while she cursed Kato to oblivion. After all, if he had not been so mean to her, she would not have run off and been captured in the first place. She went on to curse Marie and Pierre and had just started on her parents when she found herself in a large room, next to a throne.

Not just any throne.

A beautiful, sculptured ice throne that sparkled in the light that was streaming in through several windows. The throne itself was swathed with white fur. Elana couldn't resist the temptation. She simply had to sit in it.

And for a moment there, as she sat amongst the fur and looked out over the sweeping room, something burned into life into her chest. A longing, an ache, a thirst. For this moment to be real, all the time. For authority.

For power.

"Enjoying the view?"

Elana almost fell out of the throne. She knew that voice. That was the last voice she had heard before she'd blacked out. That was the voice that had scared her and captivated her at the same time. Now that she could see who the voice belonged to, she understood why.

Standing at one of the entrances was the tallest lady she had ever seen. She had pale white skin but her lips were painted blood red. Her long hair was piled on top of her head and she wore a floor length white dress and carried a silver sword or knife of some sorts. There was something about her that just took the breath out of you. She commanded the room and made you feel quite inferior. Elana decided that apart from feeling quite awed, there was nothing to truly be frightened of. In fact, she instantly liked this woman who demanded so much attention. Elana thought she could learn a few valuable lessons from her.

"Well?"

"I – I –" Elana stuttered, remembering she was supposed to be a prisoner.

Suddenly, a large wolf came running into the room. And then – Elana's mouth dropped open – it spoke.

"Your Majesty, the prisoner!" The wolf growled, then noticed Elana for the first time. "Oh! Your Majesty, we apologise, she broke free from her cell."

"It wasn't that hard," Elana muttered.

The wolf fixed Elana with a dangerous glare. "Come with me if you value your life."

Elana tossed her head. "You don't scare me."

The wolf's eyes flashed. "Then it is time you –"

"Denzer! Enough! Leave us."

"Yes, Your Highness," the wolf, Denzer, growled. He threw Elana one last sinister look before he left.

"You – human, what is your name?"

"Elana. What is yours?"

The white lady laughed. "Such courage. My name is Jadis and I am Queen of Narnia."

"Narnia?"

"The and which you are in. Tell me child, how did you come across Narnia?"

"I don't know – You Majesty."

"Are there more of you?"

"Yes, my brother Kato and my cousins, Marie and Pierre."

The Queen drew in a sharp breath. "There are four of you?"

"Yes, but I ran away. I hate Kato. He thinks he can tell me what to do. I wish I was Queen like you. The nobody could tell me what to do."

A strange emotion passed across the Queen's face, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

"My dear child," she said suddenly. "You look frightfully cold. Won't you walk with me?"

Elana didn't hesitate for a moment. There was no doubt that this lady was kind, despite having originally locked Elana up. Once beside the Queen, she presented Elana with a shawl to wrap around her shoulders and began guiding her through what Elana now realised was obviously a castle.

"Through there is the front hall. Over there is the kitchens. My private chambers are up ahead."

Elana could barely begin to take it all in. "I'd love to live in a palace."

"Why don't you?"

"Well, I'm not royalty."

"Oh but you could be. You see, I have no children of my own and I would so dearly love a daughter to be Princess and one day Queen of Narnia."

"You mean it?"

"Of course."

"I don't think I could be as powerful as you."

"Power is fear. You must make people fear you. You must feel no pain and show no emotion. You must let nothing stand between you and a goal."

Elana's eyes shone as she digested this pearl of wisdom. A normal child would have shied away from this cold-hearted approach to power but Elana lapped it up like a puppy dying of thirst. The fire that had started in her chest was growing stronger and dark thoughts began appearing in her mind and she did nothing to cease them forming.

They had reached the Queen's chambers and the great lady set about finding Elana warmer clothes. She decided to dress the girl in black rather than white, for she did not feel like sharing her signature colour with anyone. All the while, Jadis continued filling Elana's mind with sinister ideas and unpleasant thoughts about her brother and cousins.

"We shall have to find them, you know, and bring them here."

"Why? There's nothing special about them?"

"Don't you believe it's time you showed your brother who is really in charge?"

Elana nodded. "Oh yes, that would be excellent. If he saw me as a princess – well, that would show him."

Elana wondered over to a small table where there sat a felt lined box. She opened it to find small pieces of golden toffee and she melted with delight. "May I have one?"

"Of course," said the Queen and Elana barely noticed the change in the Lady's tone. She seemed to almost be laughing. "Take as many as you want."

Jadis smiled as she watched the girl bite into the toffee. She had her now. The girl was not at all what the usurper Queen had been expecting. Here was a girl who was just like Jadis herself and that in itself was the perfect revenge.

Jadis had no doubt Aslan himself had sent the children from their world to here to fulfil the prophecy. Killing the child was nowhere near as satisfactory as enchanting her and turning her against her sibling and cousins. Aslan had chosen the wrong child to save Narnia but it was too late now.

Jadis still planned to make sure the prophecy never came to pass. She still planned to kill the other three children.

Only now, Elana would help her do it.


	6. Searching for Elana

_**This story has had a surge in popularity and I'm glowing. I'm so happy people are reading my stories and enjoying them. Enjoy the latest instalment!**_

Kato woke cramped and tired. He had only fallen asleep right in the very end, when his body simply would not allow him to remain awake another moment. However tired he was, though, he woke with a purpose. Today they would find Elana and return home.

_If we can find Elana,_ Kato thought. He shook himself. _No. We will find her, I know we will._

_We have to._

Beside him, Marie was stirring. The petite nine-year-old still managed to look angelic even when she slept, with her golden hair hanging around her face in small curl. She opened her blue eyes and, disorientated, began speaking in French.

"Ce qui? La mère, où suis moi?"

"Shh, Marie, it's Kato. I'm here, everything is alright."

"Oh Kato, I had this amazing dream. There was a forest and snow and a badger and – and _it talked!_"

Just at that exact moment, Jeb the fox woke from his slumber. He stretched and shook himself, just like a dog might, before greeting the two children.

"Good morning. Is everything alright, my Queen?"

Marie covered her hand with her mouth to stop herself from squealing in delight. Kato, however, noticed the subtle address and was none too pleased.

"My cousin is not your Queen," he said coldly, then realised a different approach was needed. "Please. We just want to find my sister and return home."

"I agree," said Pierre who had also risen and was rubbing his eyes.

Geraline the badger appeared in the cave, her arms full with frozen berries. "I'm sorry; this was the best I could find. Eat up everyone and then we'll set off to find the other little Queen."

Kato eyed the badger from behind cold eyes until she repented.

"Pardon. I mean your sister, of course."

They ate as many of the berries as they could manage and then set off. Kato desperately wished that he and his cousins had been wearing warmer clothes when they disappeared out of their world and appeared in this one. However, it wasn't as bad this morning, for despite being surrounded by snow, the sun was shining brightly and trying to share a little of its warmth on the frozen land.

The children just followed the animals at first, who were discussing the best way in which to go about the search.

"We need to start at a definite place so we don't go in circles."

"How about the house of the Tumnuses? That family have been living there since the beginning of Narnia itself and would be more than willing to help."

"True, Geraline, but should things – take a turn for the worst, I would hate to be the one responsible for bringing anyone else into our predicament."

"Those are wise words indeed, Jeb. Well, how about we begin at the Lamp-post?"

"A fine idea."

Apart from a small home, recognisable by a door or window here and there, Kato saw no signs of life or civilisation, so how a lamp-post came to be in this forest was a puzzlement. However, barely five minutes later they arrived in a clearing and sure enough, there at its centre was a lamp-post. It was covered in frost but there was still a small fire burning behind the class case. It reminded Kato so much of England and home that he almost ran up to the iron post to embrace it.

"We will begin our search here. We will move as one party rather than several, because splitting up has never worked in the last ten years. If necessary, ask anyone you see along the way if they saw anything suspicious."

The party of five set of again, Geraline in the lead, followed by Pierre and Marie with Kato and Jeb bringing up the rear. Pierre and Marie chatted animatedly with each other and Geraline who pointed out many interesting homes and describing the talking animals who inhabited them as they went. Jeb and Kato walked in silence until the fox broke it with an odd question that threw Kato off his guard.

"Why do you not wish to be King?"

Kato blinked and opened his mouth to reply before closing it again. He really didn't know what to say.

"You do not believe the prophecy?"

"I'm sure there is a prophecy it's just – I still feel extremely disorientated."

The fox chuckled. "Understandable. Yet that does not answer my question."

Biting his lip, Kato mumbled a hasty response.

"Sorry, sire – pardon me, Kato, I didn't quite catch that."

Kato sighed. There was no escaping the truth. "I said, I'm too scared! I can't run a Kingdom. I'm not brave or wise enough."

Jeb was silent for a moment. "I have not known you long enough to know whether you are either of those things. But I do know something. I have seen the way you care for your cousins. I know you stayed up most of last night, worrying about your sister. That may not demonstrate wisdom or bravery but it most certainly displays another important trait. Compassion. I would willingly serve any King if their heart was filled with that unheard amount of kindness."

Kato could almost feel himself going red. He was glad someone thought this way about him, but it did nothing to change his perspective. He still did not see himself as rightful to rule.

Suddenly a small squirrel leapt down from a tree and landed silently in front of us. Its eyes were wider than Kato had imagined could be humanely possible.

"Good morning Auburnfur," said Geraline pleasantly.

"A-are those – are th-they..." the squirrel stuttered and trailed off, too overcome to even speak. Finally, he seemed to gather enough nerve to blurt out, "Are they humans?"

"Yes," answered Jeb. "This is Kato, Marie and Pierre and we are currently searching for Kato's sister, Elana."

"There are _four _of them?"

Geraline's eyes twinkled. "Yes."

The squirrel sunk into a low bow. "Your Majesties. Thank Aslan for letting me live to see this day."

Kato was about to retort, but then he saw the happiness and hope that was now clearly written across the squirrels face. Why should he be the one to take that away? After a brief discussion, the party headed on, firmly reminding the gleeful Aurburnfur to tell no-one what he had seen.

"See?"

Kato looked at Jeb. "Pardon?"

"You are symbol of hope, sire. And believe me when I tell you we Narnians have had precious little to be happy of hopeful about in the last decade."

Kato was so moved by one the insightful fox had said, he barely registered the way in which he had been addressed. He decided, for now, the best course of action was to one more focus entirely on finding his sister.

After turning a corner, the three children almost shouted out with surprise. There in front of them was an old man, carrying an umbrella. But it wasn't an old man. From the waist down he was covered in fur and instead of feet he had two cloven hooves. Marie clutched Kato's arm in fear.

"Quel est-il?" she whispered.

"It's a faun," Kato replied.

"Good morning, old Mr Tumnus. Where is your son this fine morning?"

"Back at the house," the ageing faun replied. He was staring intently at the children, but did not look surprised. Jeb picked up on this instantly.

"These are not the first humans you have seen, are they?"

"No...I saw another, but only for a very brief moment."

Kato's heart soared. "You saw my sister? When? Where?'

The faun's face suddenly became quite stricken. "Your sister? Oh I am so sorry."

Kato's eyes flashed. "Where is she?"

"Peace, sire," said Jeb.

"I-I saw her yesterday. A frightful storm was picking up and I was on my way home. I saw a figure in the distance and realised it had to be a human. I was going to go and aid the poor creature but then..._she _came."

Geraline gasped. Jeb shook his head furiously. "Tell us the human child got away, please tell us!"

Old Mr Tumnus dropped his head. "I'm sorry. The Witch took her."

A child ran down Kato's spine as he registered who the Narnians were talking about and what had happened. The White Witch, the evil usurper Queen had his sister.

"What can we do?" asked Pierre.

"You can only hope that –"

"That's not good enough!" Pierre shouted, his voice echoing throughout the forest. The three Narnians looked extremely wary.

"Your Majesty, you must understand, she will be in the palace by now."

"Then that is where we shall go."

Kato had never admired his younger cousin's bravery as much as he did right at that very moment.

"We cannot possibly hope to infiltrate the palace! It has never been done."

Marie stepped forward. "We must try. The Lion told us to try."

Silence reigned as everyone digested this.

"What lion?" Mr Tumnus asked eagerly.

"The big Lion in my dream. He told me that should something unthinkable happed, we couldn't give up hope. And we have to try."

Jeb stepped forward. "I believe you. I _will _try. For the rightful Kings and Queens of Narnia. And for Aslan."

Everyone else nodded. "For Aslan," they echoed.

_**Tell me what you think will happen! I love guesses and stuff. Every review makes my day. **_

_**So rassegna, rassegna, per favore! (Review, review, please!)**_


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